Original U.S. Colt .45cal Single Action Army Revolver Made in 1880 with Replaced 5 1/2" Barrel, Cylinder, and Faux Ivory Grips - Fully Restored - Serial 56414

Original Item: Only One Available. This is every School boy's dream! A real Cowboy six gun! The Colt Single Action Army Revolver, often referred to as the SAA or M1873, was the first Colt cartridge revolver to see wide acceptance and use, having been developed to meet the needs of the U.S. Government. Dubbed the "Peacemaker", the design is a famous piece of Americana and the American Wild West era, due to its popularity with ranchers, lawmen, and outlaws alike. While Colt has fielded many other designs since its introduction, none have been able to capture the same type of romance, resulting in the design being reissued several times since originally being discontinued.

This fantastic Colt SAA (Single Action Army) Revolver has a "gunfighter friendly" factory-replaced 5 1/2" barrel, along with a brand new replacement cylinder marked with the "Colt Pony" on the back. It also has some lovely Faux Ivory grips, which could be one of several different products on the market for these revolvers. The revolver has been completely refinished and restored, and now has a lovely dark blued finish, which shows just a bit of wear near the muzzle. Really a fantastic looking revolver!

The Colt Single action army's "First Generation" of production spanned over 65 years, from 1873 to 1941. The model was then discontinued in 1941, so they could focus on WWII production and more modern weapons. However, classic Western Themed movies and shows on the new television medium resulted in a huge resurgence of popularity in the design. In 1956 Colt re-launched the "Single Action Army" revolver, in what is referred to as the "Second generation".

As part of this, many owners of older Single Action Army revolvers began sending their older revolvers with worn bores to be rebarreled and restored at the factory. This was more economical than purchasing a new one, and also meant you could have a great shiny revolver that was also "really there" during the "Old West" period. These are somewhat easy to spot, as the "Second Generation" barrels had slightly different address markings, and has a larger "Shark Fin" front sight. They also were marked COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY .45 in modern print on the left side of the barrel, and COLT'S MFG. CO. HARTFORD, CT. U.S.A. on the right side.

That is most likely exactly what happened with this revolver, which really is a great example. The revolver's serial number is 56414, which dates production to 1880. This can be seen on the frame and trigger guard, though it is a bit worn, and the grip frame marking is just a "ghost". As the barrel and cylinder are both replaced, they would not have any serial number markings present. There is also assembly number 655 marked on the loading gate. It is in full working order and condition, with a fantastic finish, replaced barrel and great grips, sure to delight any "Old West" Americana collector.

The revolver does look to have seen a good amount of wear and peppering before being refinished, so unfortunately the original patent markings on the left side of the frame are completely gone, along with any proofs that may have been present. We were not able to see any caliber markings on the trigger guard, but with a replaced cylinder and barrel, we can be certain that this revolver is definitely chambered for .45 Colt, also known as .45 "LONG" Colt, one of the most legendary handgun cartridges of the old west. When you hear people talk of a "Colt 45", this model gun is the reason why.

The revolver is really in great shape, with the rebluing on the frame and other components very well retained. There is just a bit of wear on the edges of the ejector and barrel, probably from being stored in a holster. The grips look great, showing no damage or any type of real wear, and they have a lovely color. Mechanically, the action is smooth, with a good cylinder lock up, and strong mainspring. The action does have only three of the clicks, with the "safety" position closest to the frame not present, though this position was in reality useless, as it would often not prevent the hammer from moving forward. Otherwise, it functions great, with accurate indexing and a crisp dry fire. As with all revolvers of this age we recommend being very gentle with cycling it, so we do not recommend "fanning" or "fan firing". The revolver can still be easily taken down by removing the cylinder base pin. The barrel is pretty much brand new, bright and shiny with crisp lands and grooves.

Pistols such as this are extremely difficult to find today at any reasonable price. This lovely restored is just ideal for any Wild West Collection. A great collector's revolver, ready to display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1880
Caliber: .45 "Long" Colt
Ammunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 5 1/2 inches
Overall Length: 11 inches
Action: Single Action
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver

History of the Colt Single Single Action Army

Bound by the Rollin White patent (#12,648, April 3, 1855) and not wanting to pay a royalty fee to Smith & Wesson, Colt could not begin development of bored-through revolver cylinders for metallic cartridge use until April 4, 1869. For the design, Colt turned to two of its best engineers: William Mason and Charles Brinckerhoff Richards who had developed a number of revolvers and black powder conversions for the company. Their effort was designed for the United States government service revolver trials of 1872 by Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company and adopted as the standard military service revolver. Production began in 1873 with the Single Action Army model 1873, also referred to as the "New Model Army Metallic Cartridge Revolving Pistol".

The very first production Single Action Army, serial number 1, thought lost for many years after its production, was found in a barn in Nashua, New Hampshire in the early 1900s. It was chambered in .45 Colt, a centerfire design containing charges of up to 40 grains (2.6 g) of fine-grained black powder and a 255-grain (16.5 g) blunt roundnosed bullet. Relative to period cartridges and most later handgun rounds, it was quite powerful in its full loading.

The Colt Single Action Army revolver, along with the 1870 and 1875 Smith & Wesson Model 3 "Schofield" revolver, replaced the Colt 1860 Army Percussion revolver. The Colt quickly gained favor over the S&W and remained the primary US military sidearm until 1892 when it was replaced by the .38 Long Colt caliber Colt Model 1892, a double-action revolver with swing-out cylinder. By the end of 1874, serial no. 16,000 was reached; 12,500 Colt Single Action Army revolvers chambered for the .45 Colt cartridge had entered service and the remaining revolvers were sold in the civilian market.

The Colt .45 is a famous piece of American history, known as "The Gun That Won the West". The Single Action army is a very popular firearm, even today, and it continues to be produced in various configurations.